Cuba experienced its third nationwide power outage since the beginning of the year on Monday, according to the state electricity company UNE. The utility reported a total disconnection from the national electricity generation system and said it was investigating the causes.
The impoverished island has been struggling with power shortages for years, but the situation has worsened since the US imposed an oil blockade in January, which has reduced fuel supplies for Cuba's power plants. The UNE has implemented increasingly severe power cuts across the country, with some areas in Havana experiencing over 24 hours without electricity and rural zones facing outages exceeding 70 hours.
Residents expressed frustration and hardship. 'Living like this is agony,' said Meyboll Font, a 51-year-old social media community manager in Havana, where the neighbourhood survives on just three to four hours of power daily. 'We have no wifi, no electricity, we can't work,' added a young software programmer.
Since the fuel blockade began in January, only one oil tanker, from Russia, has been allowed to dock in Cuba. The blockade, along with sanctions on the Cuban state and foreign companies, has exacerbated shortages of food, drinking water, and medicine, prompting the UN to warn of a humanitarian emergency.
The government has invested in solar energy, which now accounts for 10% of the energy mix, but it has not been enough to prevent the eighth major blackout since late 2024.
